Category: Insurance

One of the most common forms of carpenter insurance is public liability.

This is the insurance that will save your back if you cause property damage or personal injury to another person.

Whilst public liability certainly isn’t the only form of business insurance a chippie should consider, it is arguably the most important.

In this guide we’ll take a detailed look at public liability insurance for carpenters.

If you’re just looking for some quotes, click the button below.

What does it cover?

Public liability insurance will protect a carpenter in the event that their negligence results in property damage or personal injury to another person.

Whether you damage someone else’s property whilst on the job, or cause injury to that person, your public liability will respond.

Your policy will generally also cover the cost of defending a claim. For example if someone tries to sue you for negligence, even if you are eventually found to be in the right, your policy will cover your legal expenses to get that outcome.

Claim examples

When it comes to carpenters and public liability, there are small claims and there can be big claims!

Small claims typically involve property damage. For example you might be in a client’s roof and you put your foot through the ceiling.

The plaster repairs and painting could cost a couple of grand, which is enough to wipe out the week’s profit, but not enough to be life changing.

This type of event would be covered by public liability, saving you potentially a couple of grand.

At the other end of the scale we have the big claims, which more often involve personal injury.

An example here could be that you’ve built a deck for a house and that deck subsequently fails, resulting in serious injury or death to those on the deck.

If you are found to have been negligent in some way which contributed to the accident, you could be up for hundreds of thousands – if not millions – of dollars in damages.

Public liability claims are rarely black and white, and the above examples would be subject to all sorts of issues, but it does give you an idea.

Is it mandatory for carpenters?

Unlike electricians and plumbers who typically have mandatory public liability insurance requirements for their licence, chippies do not.

Whilst the government might not have any insurance requirements for carpenters, building companies often will.

Many builders will require that all trades – including carpenters – show evidence of their public liability insurance before being allowed on site.

Evidence is generally in the form of your certificate of currency, which outlines the details of your insurance.

Regardless of whether or not you are required to hold public liability for your licence or through a building contract, it is still an incredibly important form of cover for any self-employed carpenter.

How much does it cost?

Carpentry is seen as a fairly low risk when it comes to public liability insurance, which thankfully means the cost is very low.

For the minimum $5 million cover, premiums start from around $400 per year depending on the insurer.

The cost can rise depending on a number of factors including the size of your business and any work considering high risk, or in high risk locations.

Examples of high risk locations include mine sites, airports and other similar sites.

If your trade is a carpenter but you’re really undertaking the work of a builder, you’ll need to insure yourself as such. This will typically be a little more expensive, but it’s far more important to be properly insured in the event of a claim.

Who Needs It?

Anyone who is self-employed or owns a business will most likely have a need for public liability. This could include any of the following:

Sole trader

Partnership

Contractor

Subcontractor

Pty Ltd Company

So virtually any type of business where you’re not directly employed by someone else.

This includes anyone from a sole trader handyman startup through to a nation-wide company turning over millions of dollars per year.

Whilst many businesses need public liability to protect themselves and their owners, for some businesses it is a mandatory requirement.

For example electrical contractors in Qld must hold a minimum of $5 million public liability in order to maintain their licence. Without their licence, they cannot trade.

This is a government regulation, and there are many others in other states and for other industries.

Aside from government regulation, some companies have their own regulations for other businesses that they contract or subcontract work out to.

For example tradies undertaking subcontracting work for builders will often find that the builder requires all subcontractors on site to have their own public liability.

Or if you’re operating as a handyman doing property maintenance for real estate agencies, often the agencies will require that you provide evidence of your public liability insurance.

This is a good thing, as it protects you and your clients in the event that something goes wrong on the job.

What Does It Cover?

Now that we know who needs public liability, we need to know what it actually covers.

The policy is intended to respond in the event that your negligence results in property damage or personal injury to a third party.

In plain English, this basically means that you’ve stuffed up and someone else has been injured or had their property damaged.

An example of a claim could be where you’re working in a client’s roof, and you take a misstep, putting your foot through the ceiling.

The policy would cover the cost of repairing and repainting the ceiling. This would be considered a minor claim, but could still climb well into the thousands.

A more serious claim would generally involve personal injury. An example could be where you’ve left materials in a walkway without any signage, and a member of the public has tripped over and suffered an injury.

If it’s found that you’ve been negligent, your policy would respond to a claim for damages from the injured person.

Essentially, public liability is what’s going to save you having to sell your family home or go bankrupt in the event that something serious happens on the job, and it’s proven to be your fault.

So Why Do I Need Public Liability Insurance?

This brings us back to the original question. Why does my business need public liability?

You need it because if something goes wrong, and you’re a self-employed person or business owner, you’re the one who’s going to be financially liable.

We could be talking a few grand, or a few million in the event of a serious injury or death.

Some businesses could swallow such a loss, but many would be sent bankrupt with catastrophic financial consequences.

From under $400 a year, depending on your business type, you could protect yourself and your business from such huge risks.

We have insurance brokers who can assist with quotes and more information. Please click here to get started.

A flooring contractor may require a range of different insurance types depending on how they operate.

Public liability is certainly one of the most important forms of cover, but it’s not the only one.

For self-employed flooring contractors, public liability will be a must, whilst almost all contractors can benefit from tool insurance and income protection.

In this guide we’ll run through the needs of flooring contractors and how an insurance broker can make the insurance process easier and more affordable.

Flooring Contractors

The term flooring contractor is quite broad, and covers a large range of occupations and business types.

Some of the common activities which are covered under flooring contractors insurance include the following:

Installation of carpet and vinyl floors

Floating timber floors

Polished concrete floors

Floor repairs

Timber floor polishing

Commercial flooring

Virtually any business activities which fall under the flooring contractor category can be insured, however if you undertake any activities which are a little ‘out of the ordinary’ it’s important to let us know.

Insurance Types

There are three main types of insurance which flooring contractors can benefit from, however depending on the size and structure of your business you may require additional cover.

Whilst our website does focus on public liability insurance, it’s important not to limit yourself to a single policy. Insuring all of your risks is vital.

The three main forms of cover are detailed below.

Public Liability

No matter what your trade is, the most commonly required form of insurance is public liability.

Public liability insurance will cover you in the event that your flooring activities result in property damage or personal injury to another person.

A typical personal injury claim could involve an incident where you have left some flooring materials in a walkway without sufficient marking, and a member of the public has tripped over them and suffered an injury.

A typical property damage claim could involve something as simple as breaking a window whilst carrying materials or equipment through a client’s premises.

Public liability is primarily for business owners, contractors and subcontractors. If you are working as an employee on wages you should be covered by your employer’s policy.

For more information about this cover please view .

Tool Insurance

This is another common form of tradies insurance for anyone operating in the building and construction industry.

Tool insurance will cover your gear in the event that it is stolen, damaged by fire or damaged in a vehicle collision or rollover.

If you are leaving gear on site overnight, such as large timber or concrete floor polishers that aren’t easily transported each night, you can also obtain special cover for these.

More information about tool insurance can be found by following the links on our website.

Income Protection

The last of the ‘big three’ form of trade insurance is income protection.

Regardless of whether you’re a business owner or an employee, income protection is an important way of protecting your income in the event that you cannot work for a period of time due to illness or injury.

A proper income protection policy must be obtained via a financial adviser rather than an insurance broker.

Other Insurances

If you work on your own and don’t operate from your own premises, the three basic forms of insurance listed above will take care of most of your needs.

But if you are operating a larger business, perhaps with a few staff and running from your own workshop, then you’ll need to consider additional forms of cover.

Some of these covers include contract works insurance, business interruption and property damage cover.

Advice and Quotes

The job of an insurance broker is to help you to protect yourself, your business and your family with the right insurance to suit your needs and your budget.

They can assist flooring contractors with anything from basic quotes through to comprehensive advice on their overall insurance needs.

There are plenty of questions to answer when taking out a new business insurance policy, but your responsibilities don’t end once the policy is in place.

If your business is like most other successful businesses, it will be continually evolving as you look at ways to improve it.

Whilst some businesses might not change a lot from year to year, others are changing rapidly from month to month, or even day to day!

For this reason it is important to keep your insurance broker or company in the loop to ensure that you and your business are properly protected.

Your Responsibilities

It’s easy to fall into the trap of only answering the questions when they are asked, but you are still required to update these details at each renewal and even in between renewals.

An ideal opportunity to review your business insurance needs it at renewal time, which will ensure that you are reviewing your cover at least annually.

It’s not simply a good idea to review your business and keep your broker updated. It is in fact part of your duty of disclosure to ensure that your insurer knows about any relevant information which could affect their risk.

Areas for Review

There are many things which can change within a business over time, and some of the most common ones include changes to:

Business activities (both new activities and ceased activities)

Annual turnover / revenue

Staffing numbers

Use of subcontractors or labour hire

Working locations (particularly hazardous locations)

These aren’t the only changes that you need to make your insurer aware of, but they are certainly some of the more common changes which can impact upon your business insurance.

Whilst some of these changes may result in increased premiums, others can actually result in reduced premiums.

For example if your revenue and/or staff numbers have reduced, or you have ceased certain business activities, you may find that telling your insurer will result in a saving on your insurance.

Consequences

The consequences of not reviewing your business insurance can be extremely serious.

If you need to make a claim on your policy, and it is found that you have not notified the insurer of a relevant change to your business, you may find that the claim will be declined.

For example let’s say you’re an electrician and you have recently started a new contract working on a mine site, but you have not notified your insurer of this work.

If you need to make a claim for work you have done on the mine site, the insurer will most likely deny the claim because you have not disclosed this work to them.

If the claim was for a few thousand dollars you might be able to pay it out of your own savings, but if the claim is for a few hundred thousand, or even a few million, you could find yourself in serious financial trouble which can impact upon both your business and your family.

Reviewing Your Business Insurance

At each annual renewal you should speak with your insurance broker about you cover and whether or not it is still suitable for your needs.

In between renewals you should also inform your insurance broker (or the insurer directly if you do not have a broker) of any changes to your business which could affect your cover.

Whilst in some cases your premiums could increase after a review, it is much better to know that you are properly covered rather than taking the risk of being underinsured.

The Gold Coast is a great place to live and work, and there is no shortage of business owners who call the Coast home.

With a population of more than 600,000 and annual visitor numbers of around 10 million, there is always something going on.

But with so many people pouring in and out of local businesses every day, it’s important to ensure your business is properly insured if something is to happen to one of those people.

This is where public liability insurance can help your Gold Coast business.

What is Public Liability Insurance?

If someone was to enter your place of business and injure themselves, or if you were doing some work for them and you caused property damage or personal injury to them, they could sue you and/or your business for serious money.

Public liability insurance can protect you and your business from this risk by covering the cost of a claim against you for property damage or personal injury suffered by others.

You can learn more at our ‘what is public liability insurance’ guide.

Which Gold Coast Businesses Require Cover?

If your business has the potential to cause property damage or personal injury to another person, then you will most likely need (or should at least have) public liability cover.

This captures pretty much any type of business, from the small shops along Cavil Avenue, the cafes, restaurants and bars elsewhere in Surfers Paradise and many other business types throughout the Coast.

If someone can slip, fall and sue, then you need cover!

The other big user of public liability insurance is the building and construction industry.

Whilst a tradie isn’t going to be at risk of slip and fall type claims in the same way that a shop could be, they are still exposed to the risk of causing property damage or injury whilst on the worksite.

The reality is that very few businesses on the Gold Coast (or elsewhere in Australia for that matter) could survive a serious claim without having the right public liability insurance in place.

Special Local Requirements

There aren’t any major differences in the insurance requirements between local businesses on the Gold Coast and elsewhere in Australia, but there are a couple of exceptions.

Both electricians and pool inspectors on the Gold Coast (and elsewhere in Queensland) have special requirements for their business insurance, and without the right cover they can’t obtain their licence.

Generally speaking you should be okay to use an insurance broker from anywhere in Australia, but if you do fall into one of the special categories then you may be better off using a local broker.

Quotes and More Information

There are a few ways in which you can obtain quotes and advice on your public liability and other forms of business insurance.

The most popular option for Gold Coast businesses is to use a local broker who specialises in business insurance. They will be able to run through your options with you and provide you with quotes.

An increasingly popular option is to go online via websites such as this one which allows you to request quotes and even take out cover over the internet.

There are some occupations and business types which need insurance more than others, and tree loppers definitely fall into that category.

As a tree lopper you know there are some serious risks that you face every day when it comes to personal injury and property damage.

Although the potential risks are high, you can protect yourself with public liability insurance.

Public Liability Insurance

Public liability is arguably the most important form of insurance for people involved in tree lopping.

This form of insurance can protect you and your business in the event that you cause property damage or personal injury to another person as a result of your business activities.

Anyone who has been in the industry will know how easy it is to cause injury or damage through falling branches or entire trees, not to mention the potential for chainsaw mishaps.

For these reasons public liability is a must for anyone running their own business or working as a subcontractor in the tree lopping industry.

Insurance considerations

The main issue you will have with public liability insurance as a tree lopper is the heights you can work at.

If you are a gardener, handyman or landscaper who does some lopping as part of the job, most insurers will have height restrictions of 3m to 5m. Some actually exclude tree lopping completely.

If tree lopping is your full time role, you will find that some insurers do not offer cover at all. In this case you will have to shop around to find an insurer who can offer you appropriate coverage.

Quotes and more information

To find out which insurers will offer cover to suit your tree lopping activities, and to find the insurers that will offer the most competitive premiums, the best option may be to use an insurance broker.

You don’t have to use a broker, but it will save you a lot of running around, and it may also save you a considerable amount of money if the broker can secure you a better deal.

The cost of your public liability cover will depend on your specific business activities, including what heights you are working at and what percentage of your time is spent on lopping.

Income Protection

Although we specialise in public liability, it would be remiss of us not to mention income protection insurance.

Handling a chainsaw at whilst perched ten or twenty metres up a tree can be quite risky, and there are plenty of news articles out there covering some nasty injuries to tree loppers.

Public liability won’t cover you for injuries that you suffer yourself, but you can still protect yourself with forms of insurance such as income protection and TPD insurance.

For more information about these forms of cover you should speak with a qualified financial adviser. By ticking this option on our online quote request we can put you in touch with a suitable professional.

Once upon a time if you wanted to use an insurance broker you would use one from your local area, but these days things are different.

The internet has brought about major changes in so many areas of our lives, and this includes the ways that we interact with business professionals such as insurance brokers.

Whilst the rise of online services means that we can access services from anywhere around the country (or even the world), is this a good idea for you and your business?

So the question is, are you better off using a local insurance broker or looking elsewhere?

Benefits of using a local

One of the best things about using a local insurance broker is that you can speak with them face to face.

Not only is this good in terms of building a business relationship, but it also means that your broker can visit your place of business and see for themselves what potential risks need to be insured against.

Whilst this may not be a big deal for many small business types, it can become more important for larger businesses and those with a complex range of potential risks than need to be assessed.

Disadvantages of going local

The major downside to using a local insurance broker is that you’re restricting yourself to a small pool of expertise.

For example you may run a fairly unique business type in one area, but all of the brokers specialising in your industry are located interstate.

A local broker may still be able to help you, but by limiting yourself to the local area you are missing out on the specialist advice available elsewhere.

Benefits of going elsewhere

Technology means that we can now deal with a business insurance broker from anywhere in the country.

We can find a broker via an online search, we can research them and learn more via their website, and we can communicate with them via email, phone, online chat and even video conferencing.

This means that you can find the most suitable insurance broker for your business without being limited to a certain geographic area, and you can deal with them at any time that suits you.

If you are dealing with an insurance brokerage that only deals with clients via phone and email, you may also find that they can offer lower premiums due to their lower operating costs.

The downside of dealing with a remote broker is that you cannot deal with them face to face.

However, in most cases you still have the peace of mind knowing that you’re dealing with a qualified and licensed broker, and any decent broker will provide you with their mobile phone so that you can contact them whenever you need to.

With advances in online technology, there is no reason why insuring your business with an insurance broker who deals via phone and email should be any different to using one who deals face to face.